Is it possible to fit your own double glazing with limited DIY Skill?

Rex_Mundi

inmypocketnottheirs wrote:

All new sealed units are date marked. Not sure how you would get round this.

I've only ever seen bigger companies with automated systems using these kind of date stamps. There are absolutely thousands of smaller companies out there producing units that don't mark anything on them unless they are toughened or laminated units.

It's not a law requirement that they are date marked. Bigger companies with automated systems find this easy using machines. For a small company producing 150 to 250 units a day. It would not be worth the hassle of marking each unit (except for maybe a sticker to tell who the customer is).

gromituk

I was looking at my recently-fitted Rehau windows the other day and was surprised to see that although the seals are marked, they're not marked with any comprehensible date.

If I may go a little off-topic, I'm thinking of creating a new window reveal, which would probably be very narrow (maybe a foot or so) and tall (maybe 6 feet), and would not need to open. It would be nice for this to be arched, but am I right in thinking that it would cost horrendously more, because you can't just make up an arch from extruded sections? And the other problem is that glazing companies normally measure up existing windows for replacement, so I'd have to agree a dimension beforehand and then make sure the hole was the right size! The existing wall is 9" solid, rendered externally. I guess
the window would go towards the inside of the wall, and the brickwork would be rendered after fitting it.

George_Bray

gromituk wrote:

I'm thinking of creating a new window reveal, which would probably be very narrow (maybe a foot or so) and tall (maybe 6 feet), and would not need to open. It would be nice for this to be arched, but am I right in thinking that it would cost horrendously more, because you can't just make up an arch from extruded sections?

Before I buy any more made-up double glazing modules, I am going to consider making my own. The justification would be even lower cost (if it is lower) and total control over the amount of Argon I can inject. I don't trust any supplier to add enough.

Anyway, one could use hardwood or fibreglass sections instead of aluminium, surely. Or use thin sheets of aluminium, curved and laminated with fibreglass to form an arch. Wood could also be curved in thin strips, laminated with wood glue to form an arch. Then all you need is the glass shaped with an arch at the top as well. I'm not sure how easy that would be to have cut but, presumably glass can be cut like that, somehow.

Regards
George

across

ive had a look at mine and there is no date stamp in them just another number and company name so does that make mine ok?!

gromituk

(to George_Bray)

Interesting ideas.

My current units don't have argon in them, and I seem to remember having my suspicions about it. What difference to the U-value does it make?

Glaziers don't seem to have much trouble making curved units and units with points.

I already had someone make me a wooden arched double-glazed window. Quite considerable carpentry skills are needed. I also insisted he designed it to use the dry glazing method (which is essential to ensure the longevity of the units), and he got the profiles wrong, so I ended up spending many hours with a router and a chisel putting it right. :mad:

In this case I'd be using PVC.

Rex_Mundi

gromituk wrote:

If I may go a little off-topic, I'm thinking of creating a new window reveal, which would probably be very narrow (maybe a foot or so) and tall (maybe 6 feet), and would not need to open. It would be nice for this to be arched, but am I right in thinking that it would cost horrendously more, because you can't just make up an arch from extruded sections? And the other problem is that glazing companies normally measure up existing windows for replacement, so I'd have to agree a dimension beforehand and then make sure the hole was the right size! The existing wall is 9" solid, rendered externally. I guess
the window would go towards the inside of the wall, and the brickwork would be rendered after fitting it.

PVC window sections (the frame) can be made in an arch (you can even have a circular PVC window if you want). You are certainly correct in thinking that they would cost horrendously more though. The price of getting these bent to shape can make the price of these arched windows not worth thinking about in most circumstances.

George_Bray wrote:

Before I buy any more made-up double glazing modules, I am going to consider making my own. The justification would be even lower cost (if it is lower) and total control over the amount of Argon I can inject. I don't trust any supplier to add enough.

Anyway, one could use hardwood or fibreglass sections instead of aluminium, surely. Or use thin sheets of aluminium, curved and laminated with fibreglass to form an arch. Wood could also be curved in thin strips, laminated with wood glue to form an arch. Then all you need is the glass shaped with an arch at the top as well. I'm not sure how easy that would be to have cut but, presumably glass can be cut like that, somehow.

Regards
George

ROFLMAO..........George, I admire your sense of DIY, but you have missed a vital point in your post here. Double glazed units use desicant to absorb the water in the air that's sealed inside the unit. The aluminium section that is used (the spacer) is hollow, and the two longest sections are filled with desicant to do this. You talk about using argon in the units. I would love to hear your ideas to fill the unit with argon and keep it there before you get the seal in place (also how are you going to seal them, and how are you going to get hold of argon gas, it's not exactly a Tescos special).

Thanks for giving me such a laugh.

gromituk

The double glazing guy says that it would cost £150 extra for the arch - they can make them now by passing hot oil through the PVC sections and bending them. So now it's rather expensive rather than shockingly expensive!

alanobrien

Rex_Mundi wrote:

ROFLMAO..........George, I admire your sense of DIY, but you have missed a vital point in your post here. Double glazed units use desicant to absorb the water in the air that's sealed inside the unit. The aluminium section that is used (the spacer) is hollow, and the two longest sections are filled with desicant to do this. You talk about using argon in the units. I would love to hear your ideas to fill the unit with argon and keep it there before you get the seal in place (also how are you going to seal them, and how are you going to get hold of argon gas, it's not exactly a Tescos special).

Thanks for giving me such a laugh.

Argon ? BOC Edwards & Air products are two sources. Its used in welding amongst other things.

George_Bray

Rex_Mundi wrote:

George, I admire your sense of DIY, but you have missed a vital point in your post here....Thanks for giving me such a laugh.

One or two people laugh / scoff at my suggestions, especially at this forum it seems. Yet the vast majority of my ideas work well when I try them myself, so I don't know why.

>You talk about using argon in the units. I would love to hear
>your ideas to fill the unit with argon and keep it there before
>you get the seal in place

The argon isn't under pressure, so it can only 'drift' relatively slowly out of the small corner holes, used to inject the argon (bottom corner) and release air (top corner). I will fill the units with argon from a bottle intended for MIG welding. The bottles cost only £6-£10 for enough argon to do the whole street (probably). Whereas the incremental luxury of having argon from a major company would cost a lot more than that, per window (I assume). Once filled with Argon, you simpy plug the hole with mastic or something. I assure you that my DIY windows will have less air and more argon in them, than almost ANY commercially availble window. They need to ration their argon to be cost effective. I can afford to 'overfill' (exclude more air) because the argon is so cheap, when bought direct. I may also experiment with pulling a partial vacuum (suck out the air) before injecting the argon but the risk is that the glass may implode. But not if I run the vacuum pump and inject argon sumultaneously. Laugh again if you like.

As for sealing, the window people use a hot glue type stuff, which is black in colour. I'm sure I can get hold of some of that or find some suitable alternative. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Regards
George

alanobrien

George_Bray wrote:

One or two people laugh / scoff at my suggestions, especially at this forum it seems. Yet the vast majority of my ideas work well when I try them myself, so I don't know why.

As for sealing, the window people use a hot glue type stuff, which is black in colour. I'm sure I can get hold of some of that or find some suitable alternative. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Regards
George

A good (aquarium) strength silicon works well as a sealant for self made double glazed units, used it myself in the past to repair broken units.